Press contact: Helen Dalrymple (202) 707-1940
Public contact: Robert Saladini (202) 707-2692

October 18, 2004

Historian John Hope Franklin and Judge Robert L. Carter Discuss Brown v. Board of Education on Nov. 9

In the last of a series of events at the Library of Congress commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education U.S. Supreme Court decision, historian John Hope Franklin joins Judge Robert L. Carter in a discussion of the impact that the decision had on their lives professionally as well as personally. The discussion will be held at noon on Tuesday, Nov. 9, in the Members Room (LJ 162) of the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street S.E., Washington, D.C.

The event, which is sponsored by the Library's John W. Kluge Center, is free and open to the public and no reservations are required.

Franklin, considered to be the premier historian of the African-American experience in the United States, is one of the most celebrated scholars of our time. His major work, "From Slavery to Freedom: A History of Negro Americans," was first published in 1947 and is now in its eighth edition; it has never been out of print.

Franklin worked with Thurgood Marshall's NAACP Legal Defense Fund in 1953 to help document the history of the 14th Amendment and its import for public school accommodations. Franklin has received numerous awards and honors for his scholarship and service, and in 1995 President Clinton honored him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.

The Brown v. Board of Education decision was a crowning achievement in Robert L Carter's illustrious career with the NAACP. From 1944 through 1968, he played a leading role in crafting and litigating the major cases of the civil rights era and was particularly influential in his efforts to conceptualize legal strategy and supervise the preparation and filing of briefs for the NAACP's attack on segregation.

"Bob Carter was the keel and Thurgood was the wind," a colleague of his once commented in reference to his work with Marshall. Since 1972 Carter has served as a federal district judge for the southern district of New York. His memoirs, "A Matter of Law," will be published by New Press in early 2005.

Through a generous endowment from John W. Kluge, the Library of Congress established the Kluge Center in 2000 to bring together the world's best thinkers to distill wisdom from the Library's rich resources and to stimulate and energize interaction with policymakers in Washington. For more information about any of the fellowships, grants and programs offered by the center, contact the Office of Scholarly Programs, Library of Congress, 101 Independence Avenue S.E., Washington, DC 20540-4860; telephone (202) 707-3302, fax (202) 707-3595, or visit the Web at www.loc.gov/kluge/.

# # #

PR 04-181
10/18/04
ISSN 0731-3527

Back to top